A range-gated shearography system and related methods. Implementations of range-gated shearography systems may include a laser light source, at least one imaging detector coupled to the laser light source, a shearing interferometer coupled to the at least one imaging detector, and a ranging detector coupled to the laser light source. A method of range-gating a shearography system may include emitting laser light, determining a range interval for at least one object, receiving reflected laser light from the at least one object through a shearing interferometer from the range interval, and collecting at least one shearography image.
Legal claims defining the scope of protection, as filed with the USPTO.
1. A range gated shearography system comprising: a laser light source; at least one imaging detector coupled to the laser light source; a shearing interferometer coupled to the at least one imaging detector; and a ranging detector coupled to the laser light source.
2. The system of claim 1 , wherein the at least one imaging detector is selected from the group consisting of multiplier phototubes, avalanche photodiodes, a streak tube detector, microchannel plate intensified charge coupled devices, a read-out integrated circuit array, a charge coupled detector, a proximity-focused detector, a high-bandwidth detector, an intensified imaging detector, an unintensified imaging detector, and an SM3D detector.
3. The system of claim 1 , wherein the ranging detector is selected from the group consisting of multiplier phototubes, avalanche photodiodes, a streak tube detector, microchannel plate intensified charge coupled devices, a read-out integrated circuit array, a charge coupled detector, a proximity-focused detector, a high-bandwidth detector, an intensified imaging detector, an unintensified imaging detector, and an SM3D detector.
4. The system of claim 1 , wherein the shearing interferometer comprises a shearing wedge.
5. The system of claim 1 , wherein the shearing interferometer comprises a Michelson interferometer.
6. The system of claim 5 , wherein a second imaging detector is coupled to the Michelson interferometer.
7. The system of claim 1 , further comprising a video processor coupled to the imaging detector.
8. A method of range-gating a shearography system comprising: emitting laser light; determining a range interval for at least one object; receiving reflected laser light from the at least one object through a shearing interferometer from the range interval; and collecting at least one shearography image.
9. The method of claim 8 , wherein the range interval is a DOF region for at least one imaging detector.
10. The method of claim 8 , wherein determining a range interval further comprises measuring the range to the at least one object using a ranging detector coupled with a time-of-flight computer.
11. The method of claim 10 , wherein the ranging detector is selected from the group consisting of multiplier phototubes, avalanche photodiodes, a streak tube detector, microchannel plate intensified charge coupled devices, a read-out integrated circuit array, a charge coupled detector, a proximity-focused detector, a high-bandwidth detector, an intensified imaging detector, an unintensified imaging detector, and an SM3D detector.
12. The method of claim 9 , wherein the at least one imaging detector is selected from the group consisting of multiplier phototubes, avalanche photodiodes, a streak tube detector, microchannel plate intensified charge coupled devices, a read-out integrated circuit array, a charge coupled detector, a proximity-focused detector, a high-bandwidth detector, an unintensified imaging detector, and an SM3D detector.
13. The method of claim 9 , further comprising intensifying the received reflected laser light.
14. The method of claim 8 , wherein emitting laser light further comprises emitting pulses of laser light.
15. A method of range-gating a shearography system comprising: emitting laser light; receiving reflected laser light from at least one object with a ranging detector; determining a range to the at least one object; transmitting the range to at least one imaging detector; receiving reflected laser light from the at least one object with the at least one imaging detector through a shearing interferometer and collecting at least one shearography image; processing the at least one shearography image with a video processor.
16. The method of claim 15 , wherein the at least one imaging detector is selected from the group consisting of multiplier phototubes, avalanche photodiodes, a streak tube detector, microchannel plate intensified charge coupled devices, a read-out integrated circuit array, a charge coupled detector, a proximity-focused detector, a high-bandwidth detector, an unintensified imaging detector, and an SM3D detector.
17. The method of claim 15 , wherein the ranging detector is selected from the group consisting of multiplier phototubes, avalanche photodiodes, a streak tube detector, microchannel plate intensified charge coupled devices, a read-out integrated circuit array, a charge coupled detector, a proximity-focused detector, a high-bandwidth detector, an intensified imaging detector, an unintensified imaging detector, and an SM3D detector.
18. The method of claim 15 , further comprising intensifying the received reflected laser light.
19. The method of claim 15 , wherein emitting laser light further comprises emitting pulses of laser light.
20. The method of claim 15 , wherein receiving reflected laser light from the at least one object further comprises range-gating the at least one imaging detector to receive reflected laser light from the at least one object within a DOF region determined using the range to the at least one object.
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February 5, 2008
February 23, 2010
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